The Instrument Workshop
Parts, plans and supplies for early keyboard instruments and other stringed instruments
Italian Harpsichord
Plan
This plan was the basis of a kit produced by B&G Instrument Workshop in the 1970s. It is a full sized plan for a one manual harpsichord in the Italian style after an anonymous Italian instrument whose plan view is featured in Frank Hubbard's book. While the general lay-out, scaling, plucking points, key spacing and bracing are in the Italian tradition, the keyboard and jack guides shown in the elevation are not, nor is the simple molding shown on the plan.
This plan is for a one manual harpsichord plan in the Italian style with a scale of 10 1/4 for c and a range of five octaves AA to g or, preferably, a shorter range of 4 1/2 octaves AA to e. The scale allows the instrument to be strung entirely in brass at modern pitch. The instrument has a width of 35 3/4 (resp. 33 7/8) and is 77 long and 8 5/8 high, with 3/16 case walls; key spacing is 6 15/32 per octave. It featured two 8 registers.
The instrument can be built as a stand alone without lid. No details for a stand or an outer case (which would carry the lid) are provided. However, a light-weight lid can be attached to the instrument if the spine is properly re-enforced where the hinges are attached.
The plan consists of a main scale drawing and a scale elevation. All necessary construction details are explained in 10 details on the same sheet, many of them drawn to full scale.